Getty Frenkie de Jong was taken off after an hour against Rayo.
Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong did not hide his frustration after being substituted after 60 minutes of his team’s shock 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano at the Camp Nou on Sunday, April 24.
The Dutchman struggled to make much impact on the game and departed the pitch with a face like thunder as Xavi replaced him with 20-year-old midfielder Nico Gonzalez, as shown by ESPN.
Frenkie de Jong after being subbed off.
Reporter David Ibanez noted De Jong was “p***** off” about being taken off and walked straight off the pitch and went directly to the dressing room initially. The Netherlands international subsequently reappeared and took his place back on the bench for the closing stages.
Sunday’s defeat follows losses to Eintracht Frankfurt and Cadiz at the Camp Nou and means Barcelona have now lost three home games in a row in a season for the first time in the club’s history, as reported by MisterChip.
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Barcelona Insist De Jong ‘Not For Sale’
Sunday’s game came amid speculation Manchester United are interested in signing De Jong in the summer transfer window. Barcelona coach Xavi played down the speculation ahead of the match at his pre-game news conference.
The manager told reporters that De Jong is a “very important player” and that “if it were up to me he would be here for many more years.” De Jong has also made it clear he wants to stay and has said he “would sign a six-year contract extension” if it were offered by Barcelona, as reported by Goal.
Barcelona’s Jordi Cruyff was asked about De Jong once more after the defeat to Rayo Vallecano and again made it clear the midfielder is not for sale. He told Movistar, “We are not going to sell Frenkie de Jong and he is a very valued player in Barcelona.”
Busquets Reacts To Rayo Defeat
Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets shared his thoughts on the defeat to Rayo after the final whistle and admitted his team are having a tough time playing at the Camp Nou currently, as reported by Sport.
“We’re really struggling in games at home. We concede early and we have to turn things around. The opposition grows in confidence, play with the result and if we’re not effective in both boxes, it’s doubly hard,” he said. “The goals come from lapses in concentration or mistakes. We didn’t start badly, but a move we’ve seen 200 times on video with Alvaro Garcia, who is very quick, has done us and we could not stop it. The dynamic is negative, we haven’t taken advantage of the chance we had and now we’re level with Sevilla.”
The defeat means Barca stay second in La Liga, behind leaders Real Madrid, but have missed the chance to move three points clear of Sevilla. The two teams are tied on 63 points, two points ahead of Atletico Madrid in fourth, with just five games of the current campaign left to play.
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